Summary
- Nintendo Direct included Marvel vs. Capcom retro collection and N64 Mature Collection announcements, which were exciting for retro gaming fans.
- The event didn't stop there, though, as the Nintendo World Championships offers a modernized version of the iconic 1990s gaming event, with challenges across 13 NES games.
- Five game modes in Nintendo World Championships allow players to compete in speedrunning challenges and earn coins to unlock more content.
The recent Nintendo Direct was packed to the brim with exciting announcements, opening the presentation with a surprise Mario & Luigi reveal, ending on a long-awaited Metroid Prime 4 gameplay trailer, and announcing a Zelda-led Legend of Zelda game somewhere in between. But a good Nintendo Direct doesn't just rely on its big-ticket items, and thankfully this one had plenty of smaller-scale announcements to fill in the gaps.
A new Marvel vs. Capcom retro collection was announced during the recent Nintendo Direct, and a 'Mature Collection' of N64 games has come to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. This most recent Nintendo Direct proved it's a great time to be a retro gaming fan, and another trailer for Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition definitely helped to solidify that notion. But with a rather frenetic trailer, some fans might be wondering just what Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition actually is.
Nintendo 64 Mature Switch Online Collection Explained
In the latest Nintendo Direct, two new N64 games were added to Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack in a new 'Mature Collection'.
Nintendo World Championships NES Edition Complete Breakdown
What Are The Nintendo World Championships?
All the way back in 1990, Nintendo hosted an event known as the Nintendo World Championships. Widely considered to be one of the very first Esports events, the 1990 Nintendo World Championships toured 29 American cities and asked players of all ages to compete in a series of Nintendo video game challenges. Contestants were placed in front of an NES with a unique customized cartridge that contained special versions of Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and Rad Racer. Players needed to achieve the highest score possible across all three games within a 6-minute 21-second time limit.
Upon its 25th anniversary in May 2015, the Nintendo World Championships briefly returned, with eight Best Buys across America hosting a series of tournaments. Rather than compete for the high score on a customized NES cartridge, this 2015 NWC event saw players try to achieve the highest score possible in a custom mode for the Wii U game Ultimate NES Remix. The grand finale saw contestants try to beat some exceptionally difficult custom Super Mario Maker levels. The most recent Nintendo World Championships event was held in 2017, once again at Best Buy locations across America.
For around $30, players can now experience their very own Nintendo World Championships from the comfort of their home, with Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition looking to distill and modernize that iconic 1990s experience. This Nintendo Switch game sees up to eight local players compete in a variety of speedrunning challenges across a total of 13 different NES games, all of which are certified Nintendo classics.
Every Game Included in Nintendo World Championships NES Edition
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 2
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- The Legend of Zelda
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
- Metroid
- Kirby's Adventure
- Kid Icarus
- Ice Climber
- Donkey Kong
- Balloon Fight
- Excitebike
There are a total of 13 individual NES games included in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, ranging from multiple Super Mario Bros. Entries, to a handful of Zelda games, to arcade classics like Donkey Kong, Ice Climber, and Balloon Fight. While long-time Nintendo fans have likely played each of these games countless times before, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition offers over 150 unique challenges across all 13 games, each of which should challenge fans to play these timeless titles in new and exciting ways.
Every Mode Included in Nintendo World Championships NES Edition
- Speedrun Mode - Players complete specific speedrunning challenges across all games
- World Championships - Players complete five speedrunning challenges in a row, their time is totaled and placed on a weekly leaderboard
- Party Mode - Up to 8 players in local multiplayer compete to finish speedrunning challenges as fast as possible
- Legend Challenges - A set of very difficult challenges that require the player to complete multiple objectives in one long sequence
- Survival Mode - Race against 'Ghost' data from worldwide players in a last-man-standing tournament
There are a total of five separate modes currently confirmed for Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. While all of these game modes will have players trying to speedrun their way through a classic NES game, the objectives along the way and the general structure of gameplay will vary based on the mode. Earning a high score and achieving a high rank will net players some coins that they can then use to unlock more challenges across the 13 games included.